The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas for their failure to address the National Assembly’s self-determined allowances and running costs, and for not accounting for these expenditures.
The lawsuit, filed last Friday, August 27, at the Federal High Court in Abuja (suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1289/2024), seeks a court order compelling Akpabio and Abbas to terminate the practice of fixing their own remuneration and allowances, which SERAP terms unlawful.
The suit also demands full disclosure of the exact amount and details of the monthly running costs received by lawmakers.
SERAP’s suit asserts that public officials, including lawmakers, are legally obligated under international conventions, such as the UN Convention against Corruption, to manage public resources with integrity and responsibility.
It argues that fixing their own salaries and allowances is a breach of fiduciary duty and public trust.
The lawsuit highlights that the Nigerian Constitution and Federal Government Financial Regulations prohibit lawmakers from determining their own pay and receiving public funds into personal accounts. SERAP claims that this practice undermines constitutional and legal standards.
“The practice of members of the National Assembly fixing their own salaries and allowances, and allegedly receiving running costs into personal accounts, violates both the Nigerian Constitution and federal regulations,” the suit states.
No hearing date has been set for the case.
